New Jersey State Legislature

Gay marriage group Freedom to Marry on Thursday announced a campaign to fund fights in five 2012 marriage battleground states. ?Gay marriage group Freedom to Marry on Thursday announced a campaign to fund fights in five 2012 marriage battleground states, with the first $250,000 coming from Chris Hughes, a founder of Facebook, and his husband-to-be, Sean Eldridge. The group hopes its Win More States Fund will raise at least $3 million dollars to push for the New Jersey Legislature to override Governor Chris Christie's veto of a gay marriage bill and win ballot initiatives in Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Washington. (The New Hampshire House on Wednesday killed a proposed ballot initiative.) Eldridge told The New York Times that securing marriage rights is ?a top priority? for the couple. Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, said in a statement announcing the campaign that winning even one state referendum would change the course of the national debate. ?Winning

Just days after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie rejected a gay marriage bill, a new polls shows support has reached a record high. ?Just days after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie rejected a gay marriage bill approved by lawmakers, a new polls shows support has reached a record high. According to a Quinnipiac University survey of 1,396 registered voters, 57 percent of respondents favor the legalization of gay marriage, while 37 percent do not. However, a large majority (67%) approve of Christie's proposal to let the voters decide the issue at the ballot box in November. A plan widely criticized by Democratic leaders. Voters are also divided on whether Christie did the right thing in vetoing the legislation. Forty-seven percent said the governor was wrong, while 48 percent agreed with Christie's decision. ?So the New Jersey State Legislature passed same-sex marriage and Gov. Christopher Christie vetoed it. What's left, for now anyway, is a political issue,? Maurice Carroll, direct

New Jersey State Senator Jennifer Beck will co-sponsor a gay marriage bill when it is introduced. New Jersey State Senator Jennifer Beck will co-sponsor a gay marriage bill when it is introduced, The Auditor, a The Star-Ledger blog on New Jersey politics, reported. The Monmouth Republican previously voted against recognizing gay and lesbian couples with marria?ge. ?She said she would vote to override if the governor vetoes,? Senator Raymond Lesniak told the paper. Democrats Lesniak and Senator Loretta Weinberg are the chief sponsors of the bill in the Senate. A 2010 effort to approve the legislation fizzled in the Senate. Governor Chris Christie has since threatened to veto a gay marriage bill, if approved by lawmakers. In June, state Rep. Reed Gusciora, the New Jersey Legislature's only openly gay member, introduced a gay marriage bill. He has since called on Assembly leaders to take action on the bill during the upcoming lame-duck session. Gay marriage activists have returned to cour

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard & Poor's on Wednesday cut New Jersey's bond rating a notch due to an unfunded pension shortfall and high debt, turning up the heat on the state's governor who prides himself for fiscal conservatism.

Atlantic City, the nation's 2nd-largest gambling market, is in line for major changes in 2011. Atlantic City could see major changes in 2011 that could help the nation's second-largest gambling market come back to life after stalling and struggling for four years.

Atlantic City, the nation's 2nd-largest gambling market, is in line for major changes in 2011. Atlantic City could see major changes in 2011 that could help the nation's second-largest gambling market come back to life after stalling and struggling for four years.

NJ governor says deal on far-reaching Atlantic City changes could be reached before Christmas. Gov. Chris Christie says the New Jersey Legislature could "give Atlantic City a Christmas present" by reaching agreement on changes designed to revive the nation's second-largest gambling market.

Proposal allowing smaller casinos in Atlantic City, NJ, advances in state Legislature. A bill that would allow smaller casinos with as few as 200 hotel rooms has taken another step forward in the New Jersey Legislature.

NJ gov seeks quicker action on bills to help stabilize property taxes, reform public education. The New Jersey Legislature isn't acting quickly enough to satisfy the Republican governor.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Jersey's Legislature was recalled on Tuesday for a special session on property-tax relief after enacting a $29.4 billion budget with a slightly higher cap on local taxes than the governor sought.

Hard Rock International hopes to build new, smaller casino on Atlantic City Boardwalk. Drawn by the possibility of entering the nation's second-largest gambling market at a discount price, Hard Rock International says it hopes to build a new $300 million casino-hotel on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

Garden State Equality, New Jersey's largest gay rights advocate, announced Monday it would end donating to political parties. Garden State Equality, New Jersey's largest gay rights advocate, announced Monday it would end donating to political parties. The new policy comes just weeks after the New Jersey Legislature overwhelmingly spurned a gay marriage bill. The group is one of the nation's largest to lobby lawmakers for gay rights and lists more than 65,000 active members. While lawmaker's failure to approve gay nuptials was not listed as a reason for the new policy, the group did mention the loss in its statement. ?The only LGBT civil rights law New Jersey does not have is marriage equality,? the group said after listing several gay rights milestones. ?After the state voted down a marriage bill earlier this year, Lambda Legal announced at a Garden State Equality news conference that our side is going back to court.? The new policy says the group will donate to the campaigns of indivi

Medical marijuana proponents seek expansion of Oregon's program, creation of pot dispensaries. The Obama administration's decision not to interfere in states' medical marijuana laws has emboldened a citizens' initiative to get the state of Oregon involved in providing the drug for residents who have permission to use it.

The Obama administration's decision not to interfere in states' medical marijuana laws has emboldened a citizens' initiative to get the state of Oregon involved in providing the drug for residents who have permission to use it.

Medical marijuana proponents seek expansion of Oregon's program, creation of pot dispensaries. The Obama administration's decision not to interfere in states' medical marijuana laws has emboldened a citizens' initiative to get the state of Oregon involved in providing the drug for residents who have permission to use it.

NJ lawmakers return to work, gay marriage supporters return to lobbying and clergy urge passage. After a holiday break, it's back to work for the New Jersey Legislature and back to lobbying for supporters of a gay marriage bill that has stalled in Trenton. The bill was punted back to the Senate on New Year's Eve when Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, a Democrat from Camden, said he had heard enough on the bill and was prepared to put the bill up for a vote without a committee hearing but added that the Assembly would not take the lead in voting for the measure. Democratic Senate sponsors Loretta Weinberg and Raymond Lesniak have asked Senate President Richard Codey, a Democrat from Essex, to hold a floor vote on the bill Thursday. A Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly approved the measure last month. Supporters of the bill said they would hold a rally at the Statehouse Monday and urge legislators to approve the bill before Governor-elect Chris Christie, a Republican opposed to gay marriage

A contentious gay marriage bill in the New Jersey Legislature will face a major obstacle to passage on Thursday. A contentious gay marriage bill in the New Jersey Legislature will face a major obstacle to passage on Thursday, January 7, if its sponsors get their way. Democratic Senators Loretta Weinberg and Raymond Lesniak have asked Senate President Richard Codey, a Democrat from Essex, to hold a floor vote on the bill Thursday. Democrats control the Senate with two votes to spare but remain divided on the bill. The bill was punted back to the Senate on New Year's Eve when Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts, a Democrat from Camden, said he had heard enough on the bill and was prepared to put the bill up for a vote without a committee hearing but added that the Assembly would not go first in voting for the measure. ?I've advised the Senate sponsors that, if the bill is passed by the Senate, I am prepared to bring the bill directly to the Assembly floor for a vote before the end of this legis

Five previously undecided Republicans say they'll vote against a gay marriage bill . Opponents of a stalled gay marriage bill in the New Jersey Legislature won another victory Friday when five previously undecided Republican senators publicly announced they wouldn't vote in favor of the bill. The lawmakers said it's ?unlikely that a bill redefining marriage can pass the Senate? in an email to Democrats who had sought their support on the bill, NJ.com reported. ?Moving testimony in Senate hearings suggest that New Jersey's civil union law is not always understood or followed,? the email said. ?We need to educate the public about the law, and enhance it if necessary so that no civil union partner is turned away from the hospital bed of a loved one.? The effort to approve the gay marriage bill is under a tight deadline. Governor-elect Chris Christie, a Republican whose tenure begins in mid-January, opposes the measure, giving proponents less than five weeks to shore up support before Gove

The New Jersey Legislature will take up a gay marriage bill one week after New York rejected a similar measure. The New Jersey Legislature will take up a gay marriage bill one week after New York rejected a similar measure. The decision to act on the bill comes after gay activists pressured lawmakers to act. New Jersey state Senator Ray Lesniak announced the decision on Thursday. ?On Monday in the Judiciary Committee, we're going to vote on marriage equality,? he told a crowd of over 650 gay marriage supporters who had gathered at the Statehouse. Events in nearby New York appear to have influenced the decision to put the measure on a fast track. After defeat of gay marriage in the Senate, gay activists vowed to oust Senate Democrats whom they accused of ?betrayal.? Both chambers of the Legislature must approve the bill. But it's in the Senate where the bill fill faces its most difficult obstacle. With 21 votes needed for passage, uniting the chamber's 23 Democrats would ensure approval

NOM launches anti-gay marriage NJ ad blitz; proponents urge passage. The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most vociferous opponent of gay marriage, launched an anti-gay marriage ad blitz in New Jersey Monday. The group announced in a press release the campaign would cost $500,000. ?NOM's voter outreach will include telephone calling, direct mailers, and online advertising to let voters know that Democrats are considering following Jon Corzine over a political cliff by pushing gay marriage in the lame-duck [session],? said Brian Brown, executive director of NOM. A 30-second radio spot titled 'Give Me a Break' launched the campaign. In the ad, a woman and a man discuss the possibility of a gay marriage bill being debated during a lame-duck session of the New Jersey Legislature. They both agree the economy should come first. ?With all our problems, they want to legalize gay marriage,? the woman says, then adds, ?Gay couples ought to be able to live as they choose, bu